1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a program that an apparatus and software for controlling a robotic arm and other articulated devices. More specifically the invention uses an input device such as a mouse, stylus, trackball, other guiding device to direct a robotic device, such as an arm, using the movement and or motion of the input device.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Robot arms were developed to perform either repeatable operation where they must follow the same direction of travel and perform the same operation in a nearly infinite loop. The arm does not become tired or fatigued from the constant repetition. Another reason for using a robotic arm is because the arm can be programmed to perform detailed precision. The precision can be from placing electronic components, welding parts or surgical operations. These arms are typically programmed by entering numerical locations into a computer type program or database. The programming can be a tedious especially when the operation is for an artistic operation such as painting a vehicle where programming is best performed by a robotic arm following the motions of an operator.
Typical jointed arms require programming custom coding to operate, or they operate by teaching them: dragging, recording and playback of the path of motion. Articulated devices such as booms for tree trimming operate by sequentially moving each articulated axis until a desired location is reached.
A number of patents and or publications have been made to address these issues. Exemplary examples of patents and or publication that try to address this/these problem(s) are identified and discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,155,787 issued Apr. 10, 2012 to Gerard Chalubert et al discloses an Intelligent Interface Device for Grasping of an Object By A Manipulating Robot And Method Of Implementing This Device. The robotic arm operates with a touch screen and a camera to allow an operator to view objects from the camera and then instruct the arm to reach and grasp viewed objects. This patent does not operate with a computer mouse where movement of the mouse dictates arm movement.
U.S. Patent publication number 2011/0022229 was published on Jan. 27, 2011 for Bae Sang Jang et al discloses a Master Interface And Driving Method Of Surgical Robot. This publication is for a product that allows a surgeon to perform an operation at a location that is distal from the patient. A surgeon can be positioned at a control station with three screens to view the patient and uses two separate arms to perform surgery on the patient with robotic arms that mimic the motions from the two separate arms. This patent does not operate with a computer mouse where movement of the mouse dictates arm movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,542 issued on Jul. 21, 1998 to Timothy Ohm et al discloses a Decoupled Six Degree-Of-Freedom Teleoperated Robot System. This patent is for a six-axis force feedback input device comprising an arm with double-jointed, tendon-driven revolute joints, a decoupled tendon-driven wrist, and a base with encoders and motors. The operator must grasp and manipulate the six-axis force feedback input device to control the robot system, this is not the same as using a standard computer mouse to control the motion of the robotic arm.
What is needed is a laser-mouse guided device defines a jointed arm, or 3 degree of freedom articulated device, control system that performs useful work guided by a laser distance meter designed for three-dimensional arm control, or guided by a mouse for two-dimensional and three dimensional arm control. The control system is enabled by an inverse kinematics software module that can be used on a laptop, or desktop computer. Inverse kinematics enables the user to point to a desired location where the jointed arm tip should go, while a computer software module mathematically determines the appropriate arm rotations to move the jointed arm tip to the desired location.